How To Simplify Your Life

Disorganization leads to complication. Simple and complicated are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. The difference is often caused by a lack of organization. The essence of organization is really about simplifying. It's about creating systems and routines that support us. We should be able to rely on our systems to make daily life easier and to reach long term goals. Routines allow us to move through our day without having to over process our actions. Together systems and routines simplify our lives. Simplifying allows us to more fully engage in and enjoy the moment.

If life feels chaotic that's your cue to take stock and begin simplifying. When everyday living starts to get complicated it's all too easy to get stuck in crisis mode. Everything feels like it has a sense of urgency attached to it. Sometimes what's necessary is coming to a full and complete stop so you can assess your priorities. It may feel counter intuitive but if you are going to regain control and simplify it is what's needed.

Here are some tips to help you get started on the path to simplified living:

Stop
Stop everything. Literally, just stop. Feel what it's like to just breathe and be in the moment. Now declare a hiatus on accumulation. Don't add anything to your life that isn't absolutely essential. Don’t buy anything that you don't truly need. Don't say yes to any requests unless they are mandatory. Stopping will help you gain some clarity about what's really important. It will help you think before you act.

Reflect
Reflecting will allow you to identify the things that are truly important to you. Far too often we give our attention to things that don't really matter. We usually do this by default. We may have been conditioned to always say yes. We may think we 'should' do something, so we just keep doing it. A 'should' is very different from a want or a need. Reflect on your belongings as well as your commitments. We often keep things that have very little, if any, meaning to us. We do this out of guilt. We do it because we spent good money and don't want to admit it was a mistake. We do it because maybe it will come in handy someday. The reasons go on, but none are going to make a meaningless object meaningful.

Decide
Using the insight gleaned from your reflection exercise, decide what is deserving of your attention. What do you want to focus on? What do you want to look at day in and day out? What will get your time? These will be your keepers.

Purge
Now it's time to let go of all the things that did not make the cut. There is no point in keeping anything, whether that's a possession or a commitment, that doesn't make you feel good. Holding onto things that don't contribute positively to your life just creates more work. All the excess means more to clean, more to remember and more to take care of. Let go of the unneeded and unloved.

Now you can enjoy the freedom that prioritizing and paring away brings!

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Recommended Resource

The Guide to Organized Living. It's a free resource that will teach you how to apply the ESCAPE method to clear clutter and get organized.